Miner Miner Edition 20.indd - Morobe Mining Joint Venture

Training department steps up
We have recently restructured our Training Team at Hidden
Valley to ensure we are able to cope with the demands of
our business needs and the needs of our people in reference
to their Professional Development.
Our team has grown in strength from 38 to 49, consisting
of 38 LRE positions and 11 ERE positions. We have formed a
centralised Training Department at Hidden valley to ensure a
consistent and high standard training is conducted in all areas
of the mine. By working together we will achieve consistency
throughout the site.
We have introduced additional training sections to the
already existing Production, Processing and Projects team for
Fixed Plant Maintenance, Mobile Maintenance and Trades
Apprenticeship Training.
Our teams within Processing and Fixed Plant Maintenance
have been extended to allow us not only to develop our
existing trainers but to give an opportunity to our workers to
progress into Training roles.
We believe the structure we have dev eloped, with the team
currently in place and in conjunction with the new members
joining our team, we will be able to develop, implement and
deliver a high standard training that focusses on operating for
profi ciency.
Furthermore Supervisor Professional Development will be
at the forefront of our training initiatives; we plan to off er our
Supervisors a program that will not only make them recognised
leaders but will give the skills to manage their areas of
responsibility safely and profi ciently.
The Hidden Valley Community Aff airs Team have been
organising weekly mine site visits aimed at bringing groups
of people from various communities to Hidden Valley to show
them how the mine operates.
The program not only covers Hidden Valley landowners but
also people living in Wau and Bulolo, as well as communities
along the Watut River and the highway to Lae.
On Thursday June 21 a group of 25 leaders from the
Sambio area visited the mine and were taken to see the
Hidden Valley Pit as well as the Hamata Mill and tailings
storage facility (TSF).
Hidden Valley mining engineers explained to the visitors
that the company was spending a lot of resources, building
hard rock dumps and sediment traps around the pit while
Environment offi cers showed the well established revegetaion
program which has signifi cantly reduced the amount of
erosion from exposed slopes.
The environment offi cers took the visitors to the Mill and
explained the process of extracting gold and silver from the
ore and the storage of the by-product, or tailings, in the TSF.
They also learnt about the construction and management
of the TSF, that is designed and built to world class standards,
and is the only one of its type in PNG.
The Sambio leaders, whose people live along the Watut
River, said that they had heard many stories and rumors about
the Hidden Valley mine discharging tailings and chemicals into
the river but they now realise that this is not true.
“Mipla harim kainkain stori na i gutpla stret olsem mipla yet
LEARNING THE TRADE: Heavy Equipment Training being carried out at Hidden Valley.
The Training Team at Hidden Valley has many
challenges ahead however we will embrace each challenge
with a new outlook; we will achieve our goals and ensure our
workforce is equipped with the knowledge and expertise to
carry out their duties safely and profi ciently.
Mark Handley, Training Manager
Hidden Valley
Sambio villagers learn about mining operations during visit
6
FIRST HAND EXPERIENCING: Hidden Valley Community Aff airs Team with some of the
25 people from the Sambio area who visited the mine.
ikam na lukim stret long ai na kisim klia toktok long mine yet.”
They thanked HVJV for bringing them to the mine site so
they could see that there were no tailings being released into
the river and that the mine was setting very high standards in
the area of safety and environmental management.